The Chinese zodiac, or Sheng Xiao, assigns every birth year one of 12 animals — Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig — each paired with one of five elements. This tool finds your animal sign and its element from your year of birth and outlines the personality traits linked to that combination.
In the Chinese zodiac (Sheng Xiao), the animals rotate in a fixed 12-year order, so the same sign returns once every twelve years. Tradition says the order was decided by where each animal finished in the Great Race called by the Jade Emperor. Your animal is set by the Chinese lunar year in which you were born.
Alongside the animal, each year carries one of five elements — Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water — which colours how the sign expresses itself. Every element rules two consecutive years, and because the element and animal cycles line up only once every 60 years, a Wood Rat and a Fire Rat are read quite differently. The year's last digit points to its element:
Your sign is fixed by your year of birth within a repeating 12-year cycle, so the same animal comes around every twelve years. Enter your birth year and the calculator returns your animal along with its ruling element.
No. The Chinese lunar year begins at Chinese New Year in late January or February, so anyone born in those weeks may actually belong to the previous animal year. Check the exact New Year date for your birth year to be certain.
Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water each govern two years in turn and combine with the 12 animals across a 60-year cycle. The element shades your animal's nature, so a Metal Ox and an Earth Ox are interpreted a little differently.
For educational purposes. Astrological interpretations are traditional and not a substitute for professional advice.